My Coin #19806531

1906-D 50CMS66

Owner's Comments

Laibstain. Creamy luster and well struck. First issue from the Denver Mint in the set. Denver mint issues are mostly fairly well struck, certainly better than most coins from New Orleans, but not as consistently strong as the Philadelphia and San Fransisco issues. Beginning in 1906, the Denver Mint made Barber Halves each year except 1909, 1910, and 1914. Superb gems are limited in number for 1906 as so many issues in the set are known to be.

Expert Comments

Ron Guth:
Time for a fresh analysis of the 1906-D Half Dollar. David Akers wrote that the 1906-D was "considerably more rare with respect to population rarity than the 1906 P Mint issue" but more recent population data puts them almost equal in the number of coins certified of each date, with the 1906-P only slightly more plentiful in Mint State grades. Both the 1906-P and the 1906-D are approximately twice as common as the 1906-O and 1906-S. The real rarity of the four dates is the 1906-O, which has the smallest overall population in Mint State. However, the true condition-rarity of this group turns out to be the 1906-D, which has the fewest number of coins graded MS67 or better.

The single finest example of the 1906-D Half Dollar is a PCGS MS67 that sold in 2015 as part of the Eugene Garnder Collection for a record $47,000.

David Akers: Although not really a rare issue, the 1906-D is surprisingly difficult to locate in...full Gem condition...and, in my opinion, Gems of this issue are very underrated and undervalued. Comparing it to the other Barber Half Dollar issues of 1906, the 1906-D is considerably more rare with respect to population rarity than the 1906 P Mint issue, but, of course, it does not rival the overall rarity of the 1906-O and 1906-S... However, at the Gem level, the 1906-D is equal in rarity to the 1906 and is only a little less rare than the 1906-O and 1906-S, a fact that may have escaped the notice of all but the serious student of the series.